Like the explorers setting out to uncover the furthest planets nestled in the deepest corners of our galaxy, we invite you to strap in and prepare yourselves. During the Xbox Games Showcase, Starfield received an hour-long segment that effectively uncovered everything we could possibly hope to know about one of the most highly anticipated games of the decade, if not the century thus far.
That’s not even an exaggeration. From what we’ve seen, Starfield seems too good to be true – there are just too many elements featured in the game to make it a realistic possibility, it seems. It ticks every box and introduces a few more, it looks like it’s setting the benchmark for open-world adventures, pushing boundaries and spearheading a revolution that will see games become bigger, better, and brighter than ever before.
This is everything you need to know about Starfield.
Everything.
Space: The Final Frontier
In Starfield, there are 1000 worlds to explore. If what Bethesda Game Studios says is true, then that doesn’t just mean we can visit a part of each planet, oh no. It means that we can visit the entire surface of 1000 planets – much like players can do in No Man’s Sky, for example. We’re absolutely bound by nothing other than our willingness to go that little further.
During the Xbox Games Showcase, we were treated to a veritable plethora of planets, ranging from mundane, barren wastelands to lush, tropical paradise planets. We saw populated settlements featuring industrial regions, white, sandy beaches, dark alleyways, and neon-lit districts. Everything can be explored, and everything can be interacted with.
There are dozens of factions strewn around the galaxy, and it’s up to the player to decide who they befriend, who they destroy, and who they ultimately leave alone entirely.
It seems as though Bethesda Game Studios has put extra effort into creating as diverse a universe as possible in Starfield. There’s a city that resembles the Old West – complete with duelling space cowboys – and by contrast, hyper-futuristic, ‘NASA-punk’ cities made up of sprawling, technological structures.
It’s special, and it’s going to take thousands of hours to explore in full.
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And Explore You Shall
In Starfield, customisation is going to be hugely important to the overall flow of the game. From creating your character and selecting your attributes, backstory, and key skills to the part-by-part construction of your ship, there are many ways to put your stamp on Starfield.
In the hour-long demo, we saw ship customisation first-hand, and it looks deeply complex. It must be stressed that every single component on a ship can be customised by the player, with endless combinations being made available. It doesn’t matter if you want an agile speeder or a lumbering freighter – the options are all there.
And it isn’t just a case of having one ship and sticking with it, either. While exploring the vastness of Starfield, players can buy, store, trade, build, and even steal ships, building up a fleet as they go. That’s right – you can engage in piracy, venturing out into that eternal abyss to hijack and commander the ships of hapless explorers.
Read More: Is Starfield Open-World?
Are you more of a fighter? Then step into combat in a ship outfitted with half a dozen weapons. Perhaps you’re more interested in carrying one hell of a lot of cargo? Well, snap on a few containers that’ll act as cargo bays, and you’re set. Oh, and you can even outfit the ship with crewmates that you’ll handpick based on what you need most.
But When You’re Down…
It’s not all about flying through the stars on an epic voyage into the unknown, of course. There is a lot of boots-on-the-ground action – a staggering amount, in fact. From the core story missions to the side quests, fetch missions, bounties, and everything else in the mix, there are hundreds of hours of content wrapped up in Starfield.
If you log on to Starfield for a few hours of entertainment, you could find yourself cataloguing some of the hundreds of species littered around the galaxy, or you could storm a Raider outpost and decimate everyone scuttling around within.
Or, you may find wind up in the dark back alleys of some foreboding city, attempting to wipe out a laboratory that’s manufacturing harmful substances. Then, you could zip across town to settle a dispute in the most diplomatic way possible. If you’re feeling a little quieter, you could simply find literally any spot on any planet anywhere in the universe and start building an outpost of your very own.
Bethesda Game Studios has highlighted that – with Starfield – the possibilities are endless, and we honestly believe them.
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Get Immersed
There’s a far-reaching story at the heart of Starfield that has been painstakingly constructed over the course of several years by the creative minds at Bethesda Game Studios. And, with this being an ambitious RPG title, there really are no rules on how missions and conversations are approached.
It’s entirely up to the player who they explore the galaxy with – if anyone at all. It’s up to them to build a character from the ground up, selecting key skills that level up over time and unlock unique circumstances as they go. It’s the player’s responsibility to crew their ship, settle arguments, and determine the fate of the galaxy.
Everything that isn’t nailed down can be looted, and there’s an inter-system marketplace littered with vendors and traders. There are no limits when it comes to weapon customisation, and every player has the opportunity to call absolutely anywhere home. There are no rules around pacing, and it truly is a journey that gamers can undertake at their own speed and in their own time.
Like never before, stealth is a huge feature in Starfield, but at the same time, you can go in guns blazing some remarkably heavy weaponry. It really is so open-ended, it’s unreal.
But Ultimately, It’s Familiar
It’s an all-new game – the first brand-new universe from Bethesda in twenty-five years – but it still feels familiar at times. There are elements that we’ve already seen first-hand in games like Elite Dangerous, No Man’s Sky, and even Fallout, one of Bethesda’s most iconic franchises.
Read More: Will Starfield Suffer the Same Fate as Redfall?
For instance, the customisation, levelling, conversation, and some of the combat systems are almost ‘lifted and shifted’ from Fallout. The exploration and base-building aspects are identical to No Man’s Sky, and the ship combat looks like that found in Elite Dangerous. But is any of that a problem? No, of course not – they’re all successful games in their own right, and Starfield will likely take what they’ve done and make it all that much better.
It’s unique enough, that’s for sure – but it’s good that it doesn’t feel too out of place.
Starfield launches on September 6th, 2023 – mark that date in your calendar.
For more Starfield coverage, check out our breakdown of the Constellation Edition that was announced during the Xbox Games Showcase.